Last week, we introduced niksen, the Dutch concept of deliberately doing nothing. We also shared five simple ways online teachers can add niksen into their daily routines.

However, niksen doesn’t necessarily mean having to schedule “do nothing” breaks. It can also be about noticing the small moments in your day when you would normally reach for your phone, fill the silence, or find something productive to do…and choosing not to.

Here are five more ways online teachers can practice niksen.

1) Let Yourself Be Bored

When was the last time you were genuinely bored?

For many of us, boredom has become almost impossible to experience. The moment we have nothing to do, we reach for our phones. Waiting for a student? Check Instagram. Waiting for the kettle to boil? Respond to some messages. Standing in line? Play Candy Crush.

Instead of filling those small moments of waiting with technology, try doing absolutely nothing. Don’t reach for your phone. Don’t find something to read. Don’t try to be productive. Just wait.

It might feel uncomfortable at first, but boredom can give your mind a rare opportunity to wander without directing your attention toward anything.

2) Spend a Few Minutes Outside Without an Agenda

As an online teacher, you likely spend most of your day looking at a screen from inside your home.

When you have a free moment, step outside, but don’t turn it into exercise, errands, or another task to check off your list. Sit on a bench. Stand on your balcony. Have a coffee on your doorstep. Feel the sun or wind on your face. Watch the clouds go by.

You don’t need to go anywhere or accomplish anything. You’re simply changing your environment and allowing yourself to exist for a few minutes.

3) Resist the Urge to Fill the Silence

Silence can feel surprisingly uncomfortable.

When we’re alone, we often automatically turn on the TV, play music, listen to a podcast, or start scrolling through our phones. There’s nothing wrong with any of these things, but constantly filling every quiet moment leaves very little room for our minds to simply wander.

Try doing some ordinary activities in silence. Wash the dishes without a podcast, Make breakfast without watching a video. Fold your laundry without listening to something.

You might notice thoughts popping into your head that you didn’t realize you were carrying around. You might also discover that silence isn’t something you need to escape from.

4) Give Yourself Permission to Sit Without a Purpose

As teachers, we’re used to having a reason for everything we do and we often find ourselves filling every break with something productive.

Niksen asks us to temporarily put down our responsibilities and remove the purpose.

Find a comfortable chair and simply sit for five minutes. You don’t need to meditate. You don’t need to reflect on your goals. You don’t need to come up with your next great idea. Just sit.

If your brain tells you’re wasting time, remind yourself that wasting a few minutes may be exactly what you need.

5) End Your Workday Without Immediately Switching to Another Screen

When an online teaching day ends, it can be tempting to move directly from your work computer to your personal screen.

It probably looks something like this: Close the laptop, pick up your phone, and suddenly you’re scrolling through social media, watching videos, or replying to messages. Your workday may be technically over, but your brain is still receiving a constant stream of stimulation.

Instead, try creating a short screen-free transition between work and your evening. Close your laptop and leave it behind. Change into fresh, comfy clothes. Sit on the couch. Look out the window. Make dinner. Take a few minutes to be present.

You don’t need to replace work with another form of stimulation. Sometimes the best way to end a busy day is to do nothing at all.

Make Room for Nothing

One thing to note: Do not turn niksen into another productivity hack! That would miss the point entirely.

You don’t need to optimize your breaks, schedule the perfect amount of boredom, or turn doing nothing into another item on your to-do list. The goal is simply to create a little more space in a life that is often filled to the brim.

As an online teacher, you spend much of your day giving your attention to other people. Give yourself permission to occasionally keep that attention to yourself. Close the laptop. Put down the phone. Let the silence in and for a few minutes do absolutely nothing.

We hope you enjoyed this article series on niksen and will give it a try! You may discover that a few moments of doing nothing can bring a greater sense of calm and well-being to your day, something every online teacher deserves.